A-Mention: A 3-course dinner date with Value
Hearing from Siya Mdingi, The Voice of Value
A-Stack is home to African writers, big or small. Our community thrives on collaboration and creating visibility for African writers and readers. Transform into an A-Stacker by subscribing below:
If your publication were a person, how would you describe their personality?
They give the vibe of your favorite lecturer or teacher for your favorite course!
The one who was able to deliver their lecture content in a way that was clear and enjoyable to engage with. They would give you content that was within your reach of understanding but still challenge you and require you to sink your teeth in to fully grasp properly.
You can hear their voice from the back of the lecture hall, and you never fall asleep in their class: between the lecture content being interesting to engage with and the lecturer being great to listen to, you never had the chance to start nodding off!
If your reader were a meal, what would it be and why?
They would feel like a perfectly structured 3-course dinner, but one that's a little different each time! They would be a thoughtfully selected starter that slides well into a filling main course and culminates in a satisfying finale of a dessert.
It takes time and effort to create a well-balanced 3-course dinner, and the results of that effort are always exquisite and a joy to consume every time.
My readers are just like that: they are people who are putting effort into developing and building out their enterprises, even if they are still in the planning stages or expressing just a small interest in starting a business, non-profit, or creative venture.
They themselves and the enterprises they're building are a wonderful tapestry of flavors and experiences, and like the most discerning of chefs, they are looking for the tools and ingredients that will elevate their work.
What's the most surprising or unexpected reaction you've received from a reader?
I had a reader reach out to me to say that one of the editions I wrote sparked a major shift in their mindset or approach to their business.
Focusing on Value had never been a thing they had tried before, but the more they read, the clearer it all became for them. It prompted them to change the way they operate in their enterprise, which was a huge boon for them.
Title of your best work!
What's one thing you learned about yourself through writing this piece?
The fact of the matter is, Value creation has ALWAYS been a point of importance in our lives. You have experienced it in your day-to-day: when you saw products from 2 different brands on the shelf and picked one over the other for any reason, that reason was VALUE.
With the difference between a product being bought or left on the shelf being as 'simple' as "that product provided more value," you can imagine how vital understanding Value Innovation and Value creation can be for a business owner, non-profit leader, and creative.
In writing this piece (and every piece on The Value Blueprint), I wanted to shed light on the dynamics that influence how we think of Value, dynamics that were pretty much unseen until now, in a way that wouldn't overwhelm the reader. I wanted to share the way of thinking and approach by which business owners, non-profit leaders, and creatives can go about creating Value.
Thanks for reading this week’s A-Mention!
If you would like to be mentioned, fill out the form attached below. Hear me when I say, we WANT the detail. So go in on the responses, ookkuuurrr!?